To Mend A Broken Man
by accrossoverficwriter363
Summary: The TARDIS always takes the Doctor where he needs to go, no matter what his plans are. On this particular date night with River, the TARDIS brings the Doctor to a bar on an alien planet to pick up Captain Jack. To help him begin to heal emotionally after the 456 incident, the Doctor invites him to go with them on a trip. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

**Category**: _Doctor Who_/_Torchwood _Semi-Crossover

**Rating**: PG-13

**Warnings**: None

**Summary**: When the Doctor leaves the choice of destination for one of his and River's nightly dates up to the TARDIS, she takes them to a bar on alien planet. There, they find Captain Jack Harkness, who is in considerable need of some reassurance, fun, and guidance. In an effort to give him those things, the Doctor asks Jack to come with him and River on a trip.

**Characters/Pairings**: Eleven/River and Captain Jack, with a few references to Jack/Ianto

**Spoilers**: All of _Doctor Who_ and all of _Torchwood _except "Miracle Day". For me, S4 never happened, so Jack is still wandering the universe, trying to find some solace after the events of COE.

**Disclaimer**: _Doctor Who_ is currently owned by Steven Moffat, and _Torchwood_ is owned by Russell T. Davies, much as I wish it wasn't so.

River gets up from the bench in her cell with a smile upon hearing the sound of the TARDIS arriving. She briefly looks at herself in the makeshift mirror on the wall, then waits in the middle of her cell for the TARDIS to materialize. A few seconds later, it does just that. Once it has become a solid form, the Doctor steps out, sonic screwdriver in hand. He unlocks the door of River's cell from where he's standing, then walks over and opens it.

After meeting her in the spot where she is standing, he takes her gently by the shoulders, leans forwards, and kisses her lightly on the lips, after which he says, "Hello, Dear." River had noticed he'd been greeting her that way more often of late, with and without a term of endearment, but it pleasantly surprises her each and every time.

Smiling at him as he pulls away, River replies, "Hello, Sweetie. Where are we off to tonight?"

The Doctor smiles mischievously and answers, "Actually, I thought we'd let the TARDIS choose this time— To make it more of a surprise."

"I _do_ love a surprise."

His sonic currently stowed away in the pocket of his tweed jacket, the Doctor, smiling indulgently, replies, "I know. That's why I suggested it to the TARDIS. She was very keen on the idea."

"Was she?" River asks, smiling smugly.

"Yes, she was." The Doctor answers, still smiling.

"Clever girl. She knows what we women like."

"So do I! It was _my_ idea!" the Doctor says petulantly, a childish frown on his face. He goes quiet then, and straightens his already almost perfectly straight bowtie. Following that, he resumes. "In fact, I'll _prove_ it." As he comes toward her, River observes a confident swagger and look in his eyes that she's never seen in this version of him before— ones that testify to a sense of confidence not in his ability to defeat an enemy or solve a particularly vexing problem, but in his skill when it comes to more personal, intimate, private matters.

Upon reaching River, the Doctor puts his hands around her waist, pulls her toward him, then kisses her with so much passion and desire that she is left almost breathless. Breaking the kiss but keeping his hands around her waist, the Doctor, smiling smugly and still with a trace of confidence in his eyes, asks, "Now, what do you think of _that_ surprise?"

Smiling lasciviously as she reaches up and brushes a stray lock of hair out of his face, River answers, "What do I think? I think you should kiss me that way more often."

"Maybe I will."

"I'm looking forward to it." River replies, taking the Doctor's already somewhat lowered face in her hands and bringing it closer to her own for an equally passionate, desirous kiss, which the Doctor readily accepts. River's lips linger on his for all of ten seconds, then she concludes the kiss.

The moment now passed, the Doctor becomes flustered over his and River's sudden expression of intense desire, particularly his own. After removing his hands from around his wife's waist, the Doctor makes another show of fiddling with his bowtie, still not even _remotely _askew.

Grinning nervously, he asks, "Ready for a bit of fun?"

Smiling with amused affection, River answers, "Always, Sweetie. Always."

Briefly clapping his hands with glee, the Doctor says, "Good!" he pauses momentarily, then adds, "Oh, and you might want to pack a bag. Since the TARDIS is choosing the destination, we could end up someplace where we have to stick around for a bit."

"I've packed one already." River tells him before she starts making her way back to the bench. The Doctor follows her a few feet as she walks over to it, then stops in the corner closest to it.

Leaning against the wall in such a way that he is facing her, the Doctor, his hands in the pockets of his slacks, remarks with a smile, "You _are_ an adventurer, aren't you?"

Smiling back at him, River replies, "When _you're_ the traveling companion, how can I possibly refuse?"

Grinning now, and looking _very_ pleased with himself, the Doctor says, "Why thank you, River."

"Of course, Sweetie." She replies, picking her bag up off the floor.

Leaving his spot against the wall, the Doctor walks over to River. Holding out a hand, he asks her, "Would you like me to take your bag, dear?"

"Yes. Yes, I would." River answers, handing it to him with a smile. The Doctor takes her bag in his left hand, then switches it to his right when River offers her arm for him to hold. Arranged in that fashion— the Doctor with his left arm entwined with River's right and holding her bag in his right hand— the couple walks out of the jail cell. Once they are in the corridor, the Doctor sets down the bag and momentarily lets go of River's arm. Both his hands free, the Doctor closes the door, takes out his sonic screwdriver, then locks it.

After picking up his wife's travel bag, the Doctor holds out his free hand and says pleasantly, "Come along, dear. Our carriage is waiting." Smiling coquettishly, River offers her hand, which the Doctor immediately takes. The TARDIS's doors open as soon as the two of them come within a couple of feet, and River can't help but comment on it.

Looking at the Doctor in curiosity, she remarks, "She's never done that before."

"She's probably as excited to go as we are." He replies with a brief smile.

"Then we shouldn't keep her waiting." With that final pronouncement, the couple goes into the TARDIS, which closes the doors behind them.

The Doctor hands River's bag back to her, then turns to the control panel and looks up, saying, "Okay, old girl, the controls are all yours!" With a bit of noise, including the mechanical, grinding whine the Doctor loves so much, the TARDIS takes off.

A burst of speed sends River and the Doctor stumbling against each other, which prompts the former to grab a hold of the Doctor's arm and remark with a laugh, "She _was_ raring to go!"

"Yes, she was." The Doctor agrees, grinning. Neither says anything more after that, but much to River's delight, the Doctor keeps his arm wrapped firmly around her during the remainder of the brief trip.

Seemingly a few minutes later, the TARDIS lands itself squarely to the right of a door to a bar on an apparently alien planet. After taking a glimpse at the monitor to make sure conditions are safe, the Doctor opens the right-side door of the TARDIS, and followed by River, steps out. Once both are completely outside, the TARDIS closes and locks the one open door behind them.

Looking around, River inquires, "Any idea where we are?"

"None whatsoever." The Doctor answers, also looking around. Upon catching sight of the bar, he adds, "Let's see what sort of establishment this is." Following that, he pushes open the door, River close behind. When they are both inside, the Doctor, looking _extremely_ out of place in his tweed jacket and bowtie, remarks, "It looks like it's a pub or something."

"It does." River agrees. "But why would she bring us here?"

"I don't know." As the Doctor scans the entire establishment, his eyes fall on a _very_ familiar shape sitting at the counter, his body hunched over a drink. A tone of sad recognition in the Doctor's voice, he says, mostly to himself, "Oh, _that's_ why." The Doctor pauses for a moment, then in a quiet voice he assumes no one else can hear, he adds, "She loves him after all." A pang of guilt arises in the Doctor upon his realization that his intense feelings of near-horror may have been the only reason the TARDIS abandoned Jack after he was rendered unable to die.

At the Doctor's shoulder, River, who had heard everything he'd said despite his efforts to keep them to himself, asks, "Who is he? And why wouldn't she? _I_ killed you, yet she _still_ loves me. Nothing _he_ might have done could _possibly_ compare to that!"

Turning to her, the Doctor answers, "He's an old friend of mine named Captain Jack Harkness. And it's not anything he _did_, it's what he _is_."

"Which is?"

"Another friend of mine, a girl named Rose, looked into the TARDIS's heart once, and absorbed the time vortex. When some of its power was released, Jack was made virtually immortal, and that— disturbed me. I thought the TARDIS felt the same way, but the fact that she went out of her way to bring us here makes me think she didn't at all. It was just me who did." The Doctor falls silent then, and looks across the way at Jack again.

River, behind him moments before, now comes up next to him. Putting an arm around him and leaning against him, she says, "Oh, Sweetie, you were young then, and not as understanding as you are now. Besides, I'm sure he's forgiven you."

Nodding slowly, the Doctor replies, "That's the way it seemed the last time he traveled with me in the TARDIS, but he's experienced so much heartache since then that I have to wonder if he really has."

"Whether he's forgiven you completely or not, right now, it looks to me like he could use a friend."

Looking at River with a slight smile, the Doctor tells her, "Exactly what I was thinking. Come on." With that, they make their way over to Jack. Once there, the Doctor sits on the stool to the right of him, and River sits on the one to the right of the Doctor.

He politely waves the bartender away after confirming that River doesn't want anything to drink, then looks over at Jack. Shaking his head partly in confusion and partly in slight disappointment, the Doctor asks, "What in the world are you doing here, drinking all alone? I'd think you'd at least have some company."

Jack, who had only briefly glanced at the Doctor when he had sat down, now looks over at him completely. A caustic tone to his voice, the former Time Agent, and most recently, former leader of Torchwood Three, answers, "Unless _you're_ offering to keep me company, I don't know why you care what I do _or_ who I'm with or not with. You don't even know me."

The Doctor is bewildered by Jack's response at first, but then he recalls the circumstances under which they had last seen one another. Looking down briefly and nodding, he says, "That's right. I was delaying a rapidly approaching regeneration when you saw me last."

Jack, who had begun returning his attention to his drink, abruptly turns back to the Doctor upon hearing the last several words. His eyes wide with surprise, he exclaims, "Wait, _Doctor_?"

Smiling brightly at him, the Doctor replies, "Hello, Jack."

Turning completely to the right on the stool and leaning back slightly to see the Doctor more fully, Jack, shaking his head, remarks, "My god, you look younger every time I see you! And what _in the world_ are you wearing?"

The Doctor hears River chuckle quietly next to him, and takes a moment to shoot her an annoyed look, after which he turns back to Jack and replies, "I like this outfit, especially the bowtie. The bowtie is especially cool. As for the whole looking younger every time thing, it's just one of the perks of being a Time Lord. No reason not to take advantage of it."

"Yeah, well it's annoying." Jack says, folding his arms in front of his chest.

The right corner of the Doctor's smile inches up slightly so it is more of a friendly smirk, and the Time Lord replies, "Says the man who hasn't aged _at all_ in the last, what, one hundred or two hundred years?"

The response finally garners a smile from Jack, who answers, "Okay, you've got me there." After a momentary pause, he shakes his head slightly in disbelief and says, "I still can't believe you're here! How did you find me?"

"I didn't. The TARDIS brought us here."

"It can do that? I mean, without you telling it where to go?"

"_She_." An unfamiliar female voice to the right of the Doctor says sharply. "And yes, she can. She does it all the time."

"Sorry, _She_." Jack answers somewhat penitently, looking past the Doctor to see who had just spoken to him. When he finally sees River, he looks at her long enough to conclude that she's _quite_ an attractive woman. He then looks at the Doctor and asks, "Who's your ladyfriend?"

"Doctor River Song." River says, getting up and walking over to stand next to the Doctor. "I'm his wife." She adds, slipping her left hand into the Doctor's right with a confident smile.

Jack is stunned into silence, and so has to take a couple of minutes to recover the use of his voice. When he does, he says in an amazed tone, "Nice to meet you, Doctor Song. I'm Captain Jack Harkness."

"How do you do, Captain Harkness." River replies with an inviting smile.

The Doctor catches her, and scolds playfully, "River, behave yourself! Don't you start flirting with my male friends."

Giving him a cheeky smile, River says, "Relax, Sweetie. You know I'm a good girl most of the time. Any flirting I do, I'll only be doing with you."

Smiling and chuckling self-assuredly, the Doctor replies, "Good." Then, much to Jack's utter shock, the Time Lord, without a second thought, reaches up, brings his apparent wife's face close to his own uplifted one, and kisses her on the lips. The Doctor, his hand once more entwined in River's, then turns back to Jack. Seeing the stunned look on his face, the Time Lord, smiling roguishly, asks, "What is it, Jack? You look a bit shocked."

"I've just never seen you be so _intimate_ with the girls who travel with you!" he explains. "It's _really _hard to get used to!"

Shrugging and smiling nonchalantly, the Doctor replies, "New body, new personality, what can I say? Besides, River's not just _any_ woman— she's my _wife_."

Beginning to warm to this new incarnation of the Doctor sitting across from him and doing the best he can to control the painful feelings that keep threatening to come up, Jack says with a smile, "So she is." He pauses and takes a sip of his drink, then continues. "How long ago was the wedding?"

"Five, six months ago, wasn't it, dear?" the Doctor says in an inquiring tone, looking up at River.

"_Five_." River replies, letting go of his hand and elbowing him in the side, which results in a sharp, protesting 'Ow!' from him. "You'd better have memorized the date we got married by the time our one year anniversary comes around." River adds with a trace of annoyance in her voice.

"I will have, dear, don't worry." the Doctor replies apologetically.

"I'm glad to hear it." River says, smiling and slipping her hand back into his.

After quickly stifling an amused grin, Jack remarks, "So not very long ago, then."

"No." the Doctor replies. "But enough about me. How have you been?"

"Alright, I guess." Jack answers, turning away and shrugging.

Knowing _very_ well that isn't the case, the Doctor tries another tact to draw him out. Leaning forward (a movement made easier by River accommodatingly releasing his hand and sitting back down) and lightly putting a hand on Jack's right arm, the Doctor asks gently, "What's the matter, Jack? What's made you start wandering the universe alone?"

Jack sighs deeply, then looks over at him again and answers, "A lot had happened before the…previous you saw me like this at that other bar— enough that I couldn't bear being on Earth anymore, so I left."

"Anything you'd like to talk about?" the Doctor asks kindly.

"Not right now, no." Jack replies, turning away again and taking another sip of his drink.

"Alright, that's fine." the Time Lord says understandingly, lifting his hand off Jack's arm. Jack, for his part, expects the Doctor to get up and leave right then and there. Much to the former Torchwood leader's surprise, however, he _doesn't_. Instead, he simply sits there quietly, as if pondering over something, and occasionally exchanges an affectionate look, word, or gesture with River.

After a few minutes, the Doctor, turning back toward Jack with a small smile, says, "You know what I think you need?" Jack looks at him with the slightest bit of interest. "You need to have some good, proper fun." The Doctor finishes.

"Fun, huh?" Jack replies with a doleful smile.

"Yeah, works every time." the Doctor answers confidently.

"Do you have a different suggestion for me than the one you gave last time?" Jack asks, a slight tone of reproach in his voice.

The Doctor, somewhat taken aback, replies, "That's not what I was going to suggest, but now I'm curious what happened. Did it not work out? Did he not want to, you know, do that?"

Jack can't help but smile at the Doctor 'saying but not saying' what _both_ of them know he's talking about. Jack then says, "No, it worked out fine, and he was _very_ willing, but…" Following the final word, his smile disappears, and he lapses into silence.

"But what, Jack?" the Doctor asks gently, placing his hand on Jack's arm again.

"It didn't really help. That kind of thing isn't enough for me anymore, and doesn't make it easier to move on, not after…" Jack, appearing to be on the verge of tears, looks away and swallows hard, in an attempt to regain his composure. During the few minutes it takes him to do so, not _once_ does the Doctor lift his hand. Finally, after a considerable amount of wiping his eyes, Jack resumes. "That kind of thing just doesn't help anymore, not after everything that's happened." he explains sadly.

Jack's expression and tone of voice make it _very_ clear to the Doctor that he'd wanted to say something else _entirely_, but couldn't bring himself to. The Time Lord doesn't press him on it, however, but instead, says comfortingly with a sad smile as he stands up and walks over, "Then we'll find something else that _does_." Upon reaching Jack, the Doctor, putting an arm around his shoulder, tells him, "Come on. You're taking a trip in the TARDIS with River and me."

"Is that okay with her?" Jack asks in an almost childlike manner.

"River or the TARDIS?"

"Both, I guess, but mostly River." Jack suddenly realizes the impropriety of referring to his old friend's new wife by her first name after only _just_ meeting her, and rushes to correct himself. "I meant to say '_your wife'_, sorry." The Doctor looks over at River questioningly.

Getting up and walking over, River says to Jack with a forgiving smile, "The TARDIS brought us here for a reason. If _you're_ that reason, far be it from _me _to complain. And you can call me River if you like."

The Doctor smiles and kisses her on the cheek, then slips his free hand into her left one, after which he turns back to Jack and answers with a kind smile, "There, you see? Now come on."

Jack smiles at them both gratefully, then says, "Okay, just let me pay my tab." The Doctor, still smiling kindly, nods and takes his arm from around Jack's shoulder. Torchwood Three's former leader gets up, takes the necessary amount of currency out of his pocket, hands it to the bartender, and wishes him a good night.

When Jack turns around and faces them, the Doctor asks, "Ready?"

His hands in the pockets of his coat, Jack, nodding slightly, answers, "Yeah."

"Okay, let's go." The Doctor says with a brief smile. With that, the trio heads for the door, Jack to the left and slightly behind the Doctor.


	2. Chapter 2

The TARDIS's doors open almost immediately after the three of them, now in a line, come out of the bar. Just before crossing the threshold, Jack, at the rear of the line, hesitates, sensing, though he doesn't know _how_ or _why_, that something about the TARDIS is different— different enough that he might not be as readily accepted as a passenger.

Looking at the Doctor, he asks, "Are you sure I'll be allowed to go inside?"

Walking over and putting his hands on Jack's shoulders with a reassuring smile, the Doctor tells him, "Jack, she brought us here to get _you_, don't you see?"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm certain of it." the Doctor answers with a nod. "Come on, she's waiting." He puts his right arm around Jack's left shoulder, and positioned that way, walks with him into the TARDIS. Once they are inside, the Doctor joins River at the console, after which he inconspicuously puts an arm around her waist and subtly pulls her closer to him.

Just slightly turning her head toward him and talking quietly in his ear, River says with a mischievous smile, "Trying to keep me close by so I don't wander, Sweetie?"

Flashing a smile that _exactly _mirrors his wife's, the Doctor answers, "Something like that, yeah."

Still with the same smile, River replies, "Well aren't _you_ Mister Tough?"

"Oh, you bet I am." The Doctor follows up his comment by giving her a quick kiss on the mouth, then the couple returns to just standing side by side.

Looking around as he walks away from the now closed doors and toward the Doctor and River, Jack remarks, "Huh, you redecorated."

"Not so much _redecorated_ as tore down and started from scratch." the Doctor replies somewhat ashamedly. "All the energy released when I finally regenerated was too much for the old girl, so she had to rebuild herself completely."

"_Really_? Wow!" Jack says, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah. Anyway, do you like it?"

Nodding, Jack answers, "Yeah, I do. It's nice and room-y. I kind of miss the arches, though."

The Doctor smiles briefly at him, then says, "Me too."

Jack covers the last couple of feet to the console, then leaning forward slightly and gingerly placing his hands on top of it so as not to accidentally activate something he shouldn't, he asks, "So, where are we going?"

"Wherever the TARDIS senses we need to. Which means this trip could last for more than just this evening." the Doctor answers with a smile. "You don't need to be anywhere, do you?"

Giving the Doctor an amused smirk, Jack answers, "Did it _look_ like I needed to be someplace anytime soon?"

Pleased to see a glimmer of the old Captain Jack Harkness, brief as it might turn out to be, the Doctor, chuckling, answers, "No, it didn't. Did you come in a ship, a cruiser, something like that?"

"Yeah, it's at a terminal not far from here. Why?"

"Because if this trip ends up lasting longer than the rest of the evening, you'll need more than just what you're wearing."

"Right, of course." Jack says, laughing slightly. "I'll go get my things." He adds, turning around and heading back toward the doors. River and the Doctor glance at each other, and come to an unspoken agreement about whether to go with him.

Looking from River to Jack, and starting to walk toward him, the Doctor calls, "Hold on, we're coming with you."

Jack stops about a foot from the doors, and turning around, replies, "You don't have to. I'm coming right back."

Shrugging, the Doctor says, "I know, but we thought a walk would be a good way to see more of this planet." Looking back at River, in the process of coming down the stairs behind him, he adds, "Didn't we, dear?"

"Yes, exactly." She answers, smiling briefly.

Shrugging, Jack says, "Okay, but you aren't gonna be able to see much during a fifteen minute walk, and there's not a lot here anyway."

"No?" the Doctor asks. Jack shakes his head. "Pity. Well, the walk'll do us good, at least. After you, Jack." With that, the former Torchwood leader walks the rest of the length to the doors, the TARDIS opening them obligingly when he reaches them, and keeping them that way until the Doctor and River are outside. With one flash of his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor activates the TARDIS's perception filter. Following that, he turns back to Jack and inquires, "So, which way?"

"This way." He answers, starting to walk in a westerly direction. The answer to the Doctor's question now provided, he and River, walking side by side, follow after Jack in short order.

Following their arrival at the terminal, the Doctor asks him, "Which one is yours?"

"That one." Jack answers, indicating the third of the six crafts currently in it with a nod of his head.

"It's beautiful." The Doctor remarks, smiling.

"Isn't it?" Jack replies with a brief smile. "Reliable, too."

"I'd think it would need to be, with all the traveling I'm guessing you've been doing."

"Yeah." Jack agrees, glancing down with a slight smile and nodding. "I'll be right back."

"Alright." The Doctor says, giving a brief nod. With that, Jack walks off toward his ship. Once Jack is well out of earshot, the Doctor turns to River, standing beside him, and tells her, "I'm sorry about this, River. I know these dates are supposed to be just for the two of us, but I couldn't leave him there, not after the way I've treated him and everything he's been through."

Slipping her hand into the Doctor's, River, smiling lovingly at him, replies, "It's fine, dear. The TARDIS believes Captain Harkness needs your help— that's more than enough of a reason to satisfy me. Besides, it's what you _do_— you help people. And I wouldn't want you to be any other way." Following those final words of reassurance, River kisses the Doctor on the cheek.

Giving her an awkward, shy smile, he replies, "Stop it, you're embarrassing me!" His wife simply smiles back and gives him another kiss on the cheek.

After ten minutes, Jack, with a moderately large travel bag slung over his left shoulder, emerges from his ship. He stops and talks to the terminal's overseer for a couple of minutes, then walks back to where the Doctor and River are standing.

When Jack reaches them, the Doctor asks, "All packed?"

"Yeah." Jack answers with a nod.

"Alright, good." the Doctor replies. "Will your ship be safe here?"

"Yeah, I told the overseer to put it in a secure storage area if I'm not back in the next few days."

"Then let's get back to the TARDIS." Jack nods in agreement, and the trio, its members now walking side by side, makes its way out of the terminal.

Once again inside the TARDIS, River, her temporarily forgotten bag again in hand, looks back at the Doctor and informs him, "I'm going to put this in our room, okay, Sweetie?"

"Alright, Dear." He replies with an easygoing smile, not noticing that Jack, standing behind him, once more has an incredulous look on his face. When the Doctor turns around, the look is gone, and River has disappeared into one of the corridors at the top of one of the various stairways jutting off from the platform the console is built on.

Slightly adjusting the position of his bag, Jack asks, "Should I hang onto this until we've figured out sleeping arrangements?"

"No, not necessary. The TARDIS has probably made a room for you already." Looking toward the console, the Doctor says with a smile, "Haven't you, girl?" As if in response, one of the monitors equipped to the console switches on, its screen showing a schematic of the residential part of the TARDIS. Turning back around, his smile now a wide grin, the Doctor exclaims, "See, what did I tell you? Let's take a look and find out where she's put you." Without a further word, he turns away and starts up the main stairway to the console, Jack following behind dutifully.

As they walk, he remarks, "I couldn't help noticing you keep referring to the TARDIS as 'She'. Any particular reason why?"

Looking back at him as they reach the console, the Doctor answers matter-of-factly, "How else would I refer to her? She _is_ alive, after all."

"It is?" Jack replies in a surprised voice. The Doctor nods in response. "I had no idea."

"You didn't?" Jack shakes his head. "I thought I'd told you she was."

"Nope. This is the first I've heard of it." Jack replies.

"Strange. I was sure I'd explained that to you before." The Doctor muses. "Oh well, you know it now." He adds, smiling briefly. "Anyway, your room." The Doctor turns his attention to the screen in front of them, and after a few seconds, announces, "Ah, here it is."

Jack, slightly behind the Doctor when they had stopped walking, now comes up next to him and asks, "Where?"

"Right there." The Doctor answers with a smile, pointing to a flashing light blue dot in the lower middle of the screen.

After looking at it for himself and thanking the Doctor for showing him the location, Jack, turning around and surveying the stairways and accompanying corridors around the two of them, asks, "So, which one leads to my room?"

The Doctor joins him at the railing, and after looking around for a few seconds, nods toward the one directly across from them and the console, saying, " That one will."

"Okay, thanks." Jack replies with a brief smile. "I'll be right back."

"Alright." the Doctor says in return, smiling briefly. Following that, Jack continues heading in the direction of the stairway and corridor the Doctor had pointed out to him.

A few minutes after Jack's departure, River returns. Noticing he is no longer there, River asks the Doctor, still standing at the railing, "Where's Captain Harkness?"

"He went to find his room."

River smiles at the TARDIS's gesture of forethought, then says, "So she's made one for him already?"

"Yes." The Doctor answers, nodding. "She probably did it while we were with him at the terminal."

"She must have." River agrees, nodding briefly. Catching a glimpse of the somewhat melancholy look on her husband's face, she asks him, "What's the matter, Sweetie?"

"Jack seems like a completely different man to me. I knew he'd been affected by everything he'd been through, but I never realized just _how much_ until now. It's as if he's been…broken beyond repair." The Doctor answers sadly, turning and looking at River.

She joins him at the railing, and after gently taking his arm in an effort to get him to turn around fully and face her, River says, "He might be, but certainly not beyond repair. In fact, I think he's starting to heal already. I don't know what he was like before experiencing so much recent heartache, but his mood seemed to get a little better once we were in here."

"Really, you think so?" the Doctor, now facing River, replies in a slightly hopeful voice.

Smiling at him, River says in return, "Yes. And I think wherever the TARDIS decides to take us will help even more."

"I hope so." The Doctor, his hands now holding River's, rather than stuffed in the pockets of his slacks, replies in a melancholy tone.

"I _know_ it will." She reassures him. "Why don't we walk around for awhile?"

"Alright." Her husband answers, finally smiling. The couple, hand in hand, then heads for the group of corridors to the right of the console platform.

At the same time, Jack is surveying his room, having been led to it fifteen minutes earlier by the TARDIS. As Jack looks around, it occurs to him that the room is larger, cozier, and more well furnished than the one he had while traveling with the first incarnation of the Doctor he had met— the Ninth one.

Looking up, as he had seen the Doctor do earlier, Jack remarks, "I guess you _were_ expecting me."

To his astonishment, a female voice he can only conclude is the TARDIS says telepathically, "Of course I was. That's the reason I brought them here— to find you and bring you back with them."

"But…, I thought you were horrified by me! That's what the Doctor told me the last time we traveled together."

"You silly, impossible man." The TARDIS resumes. Jack can almost picture a humanoid female form of her shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "I _made_ you what you now are. To reject you for that is akin to rejecting my own child."

"So you've _never_ hated or been disgusted by me?" Jack asks with extreme surprise.

"Never. I've always loved you, Jack Harkness, just as much as any of those who have traveled with my dear Doctor." Jack is nearly brought to tears by the sheer joy of being told he is loved, despite everything he has done during his multiple-centuries long life, but as before, he makes himself bring the emotion under control.

Sitting down shakily on the left side of the sheet-less metal-frame bed, he says, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Following that final telepathic message, Jack senses the departure of the connection. He sits there in stunned silence for ten full minutes, trying to come to terms with the enormity of what had just happened, and why it had. Once he has recovered, he sets to work making the room his own, beginning with the bed, on which he puts sheets, a blanket, and a plain comforter. After that is done, he moves on to unpacking his bag.

When he returns to the console room an hour and a half later, the Doctor and River have returned from their stroll around the TARDIS.

Smiling at Jack in a cautiously bright manner, the Doctor asks, "All settled in? Happy with your room?"

"Yes to both." Jack answers with the most cheerful smile he had mustered thus far. "She's a very good interior designer, your TARDIS." He adds, covering the rest of the distance between the Doctor, River, and himself.

"Good! And she thanks you for the compliment." The Doctor replies, both pleased and surprised by his old friend's sudden change in mood. After a moment's pause, he says with a smile, "Well, let's get on our way."

"Sounds good to me." Jack, leaning against a segment of the railing just to the right and across from the Doctor, remarks, still smiling cheerfully.

With that, the Doctor looks up and says, "Okay, girl, take us wherever we need to go." Immediately, the relevant knobs, buttons, switches and levers activate and move, sending the TARDIS, following its customary vanishing act, back into the sky. During the flight, the trio engages in friendly conversation, most of it consisting of catching up between Jack and the Doctor, sharing of relevant, not-secret personal information between River and Jack, and general small talk.

The first half of the trip, Jack is mostly upbeat and feels comfortable around River and the Doctor, despite the knowledge that they are a married couple. Eventually, however, the frequency of intimate, loving exchanges between them, physical and otherwise, starts making Jack recall too many memories of his time with Ianto, both happy and unhappy ones. As soon as River and the Doctor are once more engaged in witty, flirty, at times, loving, banter with one another, Jack takes the opportunity to slip away for some time to himself. A few minutes later, the Doctor notices his absence.

Looking at his wife, he says, "River, would you keep an eye on things here? I'm going to find out where Jack's gone."

"Of course, Sweetie." She replies with a smile.

"Thank you, Dear." The Doctor says in return, smiling, then kissing her on the cheek. "I'll be right back."

"Alright." River replies. Following that, the Doctor goes off to find Jack.

Ten minutes later, he comes upon him standing and looking out the window in a dimly-lit room. Putting his left hand midway up on the doorframe and smiling slightly, the Doctor looks in and remarks, "I see the TARDIS led you to the observatory. Lovely view, isn't it? The sight of all those stars and planets?"

Jack, now absent his coat, which is laid out haphazardly on a long, backless, wooden bench, turns around and answers with a brief smile, "Yeah, it is." He glances down for a moment, then adds, "Sorry for disappearing like I did. I just needed to be alone for a little while."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the Doctor apologizes sincerely. "I'll just come back a little later." He begins turning away to return to the console room, but is stopped by the sound of Jack's voice.

"No, it's okay. I'd actually _like_ you to stay." After a pause, he says, "I'm… ready to talk now." The Doctor immediately turns back around and comes inside the room.

Upon reaching Jack, the Doctor, clearly noticing the very faint shadow of stubble on his friend's face for the first time since running into him, remarks gently, "You're looking a tad rough."

"Yeah, I know." Jack replies, briefly running his left hand along the length of his cheeks and lower jaw. "The way I've been traveling— in a small ship without stopping anywhere for any length of time— doesn't provide much opportunity to get the closest shave."

"I'd imagine it doesn't." the Doctor agrees with a slight smile. After joining Jack at the window, he continues. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

Jack, his hands in the pockets of his khaki slacks, leans his back against the pillar-like section of wall built next to his side of the window. After glancing down again, he asks, "Do you know about that incident a couple of years ago when this race of aliens called the 456 came to Earth and asked for ten percent of its children?"

"Yes." The Doctor answers sadly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help. I know I should have been, but I was… in a bad way at the time, and thought I would have only made the situation worse."

Jack smiles with sad understanding and replies, "Interesting that you should say that."

The Doctor, with a somewhat bewildered look on his face, asks, "Which part?"

"The apology."

"Oh, right." The Doctor replies, nodding slightly. "Why?"

"The first few months after it happened, I blamed you for the way it turned out." Jack admits. "I don't feel that way anymore, but it's still nice to hear an apology— you haven't offered many, at least not since _I've_ known you."

"I know." The Doctor says, nodding penitently. "And that was wrong. Do you forgive me?" he asks, tentatively offering his hand to Jack.

"Yeah, I do." He answers, shaking the Doctor's hand with a smile.

"I'm glad." He replies, smiling back at Jack gratefully. Following that, the Doctor inches away from the portion of wall he'd been standing against, and drapes his left arm over a medium length ledge directly underneath the window. A serious tone to his voice and a slightly stern look on his face, the Doctor says, "But you're delaying bringing up what you wanted to talk about."

Jack looks down briefly and sighs, then replies, "I know. It's just hard for me to talk about, you know?"

"I do." The Doctor says understandingly, nodding briefly. "Let's sit down."

"Okay." Jack sits down to the right of his coat and slightly before the Doctor does. The two men sit in silence for a short time, then the Doctor breaks it.

Looking at Jack, sitting to the left of him with his hands clasped and pressed against his chin, the Doctor asks gently, "Why did you leave Earth and start wandering the universe?"

Jack, who had been leaning somewhat forward, straightens his posture, lifts his head, and answers, "Guilt, Doctor, guilt that I couldn't forget or ignore like I had in the past— guilt over what I had to do to stop the 456."

"Which was?"

"I used my grandson to transmit a signal that would kill every individual alien in range, but I ended up killing _him_ along with them."

"Was that the only option left to you?"

"Yes. It was either that or let the 456 take ten percent of the world's children."

"Then you did what you had to do, and have nothing to feel guilty about." The Doctor, briefly placing a hand on Jack's right shoulder, tells him.

His voice quavering now, Jack replies, "What do you mean? Of course I do! He was a_ ten-year-old-boy_, Doctor! And family, besides!" To keep from breaking down completely, Jack stands bolt upright, walks back to the window, and upon reaching it, turns his back. After giving Jack a few moments, the Doctor gets up and walks to the window, where he waits quietly for Jack to continue. When he does, his voice has become steady again. "Did you ever have a family, Doctor?"

"Yes, a long, long time ago."

"Then I'd think you'd understand why I feel this way, unless it's been so long that you've forgotten what it's like."

"I haven't forgotten, Jack, and I understand how you're feeling more than you know."

"So how can you say I don't need to feel guilty about what I did?"

"When I told you and Martha what had happened to my people and my home planet, I left out one thing." The Doctor pauses for a moment and looks out the window, after which he turns to Jack and says, "My people didn't die in a final battle with the Daleks. They're all dead because I killed them along with most of the Daleks."

His eyes wide in shock, Jack asks, "_Every single one_? Even your family?"

"Yes, even them— every single other Time Lord except, as you know, the Master, whose death you actually witnessed." The Doctor answers, giving a brief, sad nod. "Do you remember what name Davros bestowed on me just before we teleported back to the TARDIS?"

"Yeah, uh, 'Destroyer of Worlds.' " Jack answers, keenly aware, for the first time, how enormously powerful the Doctor is.

"Yes. What I did to defeat the Daleks and end the Time War? That's one of the reasons he gave me that name."

"Why did you take such drastic measures?"

"Because I believed it was the only choice I had, just like you did when you decided you could only defeat the 456 by using your grandson as a living radio transmitter."

"So, how did _you_ deal with your guilt over knowing you'd killed almost your entire race and destroyed your home planet? I'd really like to know, because it could help me out a whole lot."

Shrugging slightly, the Doctor answers, "I just learned to bear it and make it part of me, while reminding myself that everything I did, I did because it was necessary."

"That doesn't help make me feel any better." Jack answers with slight reproach as he leaves the window and sits back down.

The Doctor then sits down next to Jack and tentatively places his hand on his old friend's right shoulder, causing him to look up. Seeing that Jack's eyes are full of nothing but pain and sadness, the Doctor says gently, "Jack, you and I are the men who have to make the impossible choices when Earth or the universe is at stake. It's a terrible burden to bear, but we have to do it, because _we're_ the only ones who _can. _Do you understand what I mean?"

"I do." Jack answers, nodding. "But I don't think I have _anywhere_ near as much strength to do it as you do. I don't think I ever did."

"Yes you _do_. You showed that in the way you dealt with the 456. I'm sure the last thing you wanted to do was leave your grandson to a fate that would inevitably kill him, but you _still_ did it. As for being able to bear the burden of guilt you have, that's going to come with time, just like it did with me."

"I hope so."

"I _know _it will. Trust me, one day it will." The Doctor reassures him. "Is that all that's been upsetting you?" He asks, removing his hand from Jack's shoulder.

"No, it isn't."

"I thought not." The Doctor says, nodding. "What else?"

"Do you remember briefly talking to a Ianto Jones when we were trying to get in contact with each other after finding out the Daleks were holding Earth hostage?"

"Yes. The young Welsh fellow in the suit, right?"

"Yeah." Jack answers, nodding.

"What about him?" the Doctor asks.

"Well, he wasn't _just_ a member of my team. He was the first person in _years_ I'd fallen in love with and wanted to have a real relationship with, too."

"I _thought_ you'd wanted to say something else when you told me having, I think the human phrase is, 'one-night stands', wasn't enough for you anymore." the Doctor replies. "What happened to him?"

Jack looks away and down for a moment. When he looks at the Doctor again, his eyes are glistening with tears. He takes a moment to allow his voice to come back, then says haltingly, "He…died after we went into Thames House to try to negotiate with the 456's representative."

His eyes brimming with sympathy, the Doctor replies, "Oh, Jack, I'm so sorry! How did it happen?"

"I didn't take into account what they were capable of, and just barged in. The only thing all my talking did was make the 456 representative angry. It released a virus and killed everyone in the building just to make the point that there was nothing we or anyone else could do to keep them from getting what they wanted."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that— through _all_ of it. I really should have been there." the Doctor says ashamedly.

Smiling sadly, Jack replies, "Thanks. But it's okay. It's like Harriet Jones said— sometimes you just can't be there."

"Maybe. But I could at least _try_ to." the Doctor remarks with self-recrimination. Before Jack can give a response, he and the Doctor feel a gentle 'Thump' under their feet.

"Have we landed?" Jack wonders aloud.

"We may have. Let's find out." the Doctor says, standing up. He waits for Jack to put his coat back on, then the two men make their way back to the console room.

As they walk up the stairs to the console, the Doctor, slightly ahead of Jack, asks, "So, River, where are we?"

"I'm not quite sure." She replies, moving aside a little to give him room to stand next to her on the platform. "Most of the readings say it's safe to go out without some sort of protective clothing, though."

"You said _most_ of them?" the Doctor inquires. River nods. "Which readings are the most anomalous?"

"These." River answers, pointing to the section of the screen showing radiation levels.

The Doctor steps closer to the screen, and after looking at it for a couple of minutes, says, "It's gamma radiation. I think the levels are low enough that it's still safe to be exposed to it, but let me check." With that, the Doctor steps out the doors, the TARDIS closing them behind him. Moments later, he comes back inside. "All clear!" he announces gaily.

"For all three of us?" Jack asks.

"Yes. It's safe for everything, even human beings." the Doctor answers. "But before we go out, I have to give you something." He adds, pushing a couple of buttons, reaching into a newly-opened drawer of some form, and taking out, then handing, Jack a medium-size firearm he vaguely recognizes.

A tone of mild surprise in his voice, Jack remarks, "You're giving me a _gun_? I thought you didn't _like _guns! Is your new tolerance for them another regeneration-caused personality change?"

"No, that hasn't changed at all— I still hate them, but I let River have one. It's only fair to let _you_, too. Besides, that one's been here for awhile— you left it here the last time we traveled together."

"I did?"

"Yes."

Jack looks at the weapon more closely, and finally recognizes it completely. "_Oh_, I wondered what had happened to it." He comments, putting it in the left pocket of his coat. "Thanks for holding on to it. I'm actually surprised you _did_!"

Smirking, the Doctor replies, "Of course I did. As much as I hate the blasted things, I wouldn't get rid of one that belonged to a companion I knew would eventually travel with me again."

Jack smiles at him, then says, "No, I guess you wouldn't."

The Doctor smiles back and pats him briefly on the shoulder, then in a serious tone, tells him and River, "Now remember, you two, no shooting first— none _at all_, if you can manage it. Understood?"

"You've got it, boss." Jack replies with a nod.

"Isn't that what I _always_ do, Sweetie?" River says, smiling mischievously.

Smirking at her, the Doctor replies, "Don't 'Sweetie' me— you know it isn't. Now behave yourself, you bad girl."

"I'll do my best."

"You'd better." The Doctor tells her, smiling gamely.

Grinning in spite of himself, Jack remarks to River, "You're quite the provocative lady, Doctor Song."

"Yes, I suppose I am." She replies, smiling impishly. "But that's one of the reasons he married me— because he likes to be challenged. Isn't that right, Sweetie?" she adds, looking over at the Doctor.

"Yes, I suppose I do." He answers with an indulgent smile. "But enough standing around. Let's go exploring, come on!" With that, the Doctor starts toward the doors, River and Jack close behind. After letting the trio out, the TARDIS closes and locks the doors again.

Looking around, the Doctor exclaims, "Look at this! It's gorgeous, almost like a painting!"

"It is." Jack agrees with a nod and a brief smile. "But why is it glowing? That's freaking me out a little."

"It's the gamma radiation. The plants must absorb it during the day, and release it at night." River says. "I think that's why the radiation readings looked so strange. Is that right, Doctor?"

"Yes it is." He answers, smiling approvingly.

"And you're _sure_ it's safe to be exposed to it?" Jack asks.

"Yes, completely, as long as you don't touch anything with your bare hands. That amount of exposure won't affect _me_, but it will _certainly_ affect you and River."

"Okay, got it." Jack replies understandingly, nodding.

"Anything else?" the Doctor asks, looking from Jack to River. Both answer in the negative, to which the Time Lord, smiling excitedly, responds, "Okay, then less dawdling and more walking, eh? Let's go!" Following that, he turns around and starts walking, his two companions following right after.

Within a few feet, they find themselves walking along a rough-hewn trail lined on either side by a closely-crowded, virtually impenetrable forest of trees and medium-height shrubs, all of which have differently-hued blue-green leaves and dark muddy brown bark. As the members of the trio walk, they see, for the first time, the true intensity of the glow emanating from the plants. It is so bright that in the rare instances there is a break in the thick forest growth, all three are bathed from head to toe in bluish-green light. For ten minutes, they walk in relative quiet, letting the tranquility wash over them, then it is abruptly broken by the sound of an explosion in the distance. Immediately, all three start running in the direction it had come from, stumbling frequently the entire way, due to the wave of post-explosion tremors currently shaking the ground. After reaching the site of the explosion, half of which is ablaze, and half simply smoking, each member of the trio searches the area as best they can for any survivors.

His face half illuminated by the glow of the trees behind him, and half by that of the fire in front of him, the Doctor calls to Jack, who is nearest to him, "Did you see or find anyone?"

"Not a single person." Jack, his face and the buttons of his coat lit up by the orange glow of the flames, replies, shaking his head.

"Then that can mean only one of two things— either we're too late, or they all got away before the explosion happened." The Doctor says in a slightly mournful tone.

"I hope it was the second possibility." Jack replies unhappily.

"So do I, Jack. So do I."

"Doctor! Jack! Over here, quickly!" River calls with urgency from a patch of forest just to the left of what appears to be the charred remains of a dwelling. The two men jog quickly over. Once the Doctor reaches River and the fallen figure, he immediately gets down on his knees next to what turns out to be a young child, so he can better scan her with his sonic screwdriver.

"Is she still alive?" Jack asks worriedly, crouching down to the left of the Doctor.

"Yes, but we need to move her someplace better concealed than this before I can scan her thoroughly." He answers.

"Are her injuries minor enough that we can do that safely?" River inquires.

The Doctor scans the child again with his sonic, then answers, "Yes. She's unconscious and has a cut on her left leg, but it isn't deep enough that she'll bleed to death."

"Alright. Where do we want to go from here?" River resumes. Jack and the Doctor, both once again on their feet, take a few moments to look around the surrounding area. It is Jack who ends up suggesting a spot.

Nodding toward a nearby area almost completely devoid of ground vegetation and ringed by a medium-sized grove of trees, he says, "That looks about right."

The Doctor takes a quick look at the suggested spot, then, picking up the young girl after putting his sonic back in his pocket, he replies, "Yes, that's perfect. Let's go." Waking at a brisk pace, the trio makes its way to the location Jack had picked out.

Following their arrival there, the Doctor looks around for a suitable, protected place to lay the child down. When he sees one, he walks carefully over. Crouching down, he gently sets her, back first, on the ground. After taking his sonic out of his pocket, he proceeds to scan the child more thoroughly and methodically, while Jack, standing at the girl's head, and River, in front of her right side with her back to the Doctor, keep watch.

A couple of minutes in, River, turning slightly toward the Doctor, asks, "How far along in her scan are you?"

"Halfway done." He answers. "Why?"

"I hear people coming, and they don't sound very friendly." His wife replies.

The Doctor pauses in his activity and listens, trying to determine what direction the group is coming from, and how far away they are. He then says, "We still have a few minutes before we need to run."

"If you say so, Sweetie." River replies with slight nervousness. Following her response, the Doctor returns to work. A mere five minutes later, River, now sounding markedly concerned, and unbeknownst to the Doctor, ready to fire a shot as soon as any form of weapon comes their way, says with great intensity, "Hurry up, Sweetie, they're getting closer!"

"I'm trying to, Dear." the Doctor replies with some vexation. A minute later, he remarks, "There, done!" As he stands up, he adds, "Jack, would you…" He realizes there is no need to finish the sentence when he looks up and sees the former Time Agent already holding the child securely in his arms. Hearing the footfalls of their potential antagonists coming closer by the minute, the Doctor says quickly and urgently, "Let's get out of here!"

The trio quickly makes its way out of the grove and away from the burned-out dwelling, each member of the group doing his or her utmost not to make any noise. They get a safe distance away fifteen seconds before being discovered, and take a breather.

The Doctor walks over to Jack, and upon reaching him, asks, "How is she?"

"Still unconscious, just like River found her, but still breathing." He answers.

"Good. And her leg?"

Jack carefully adjusts the child's position in his arms so he can better see her leg, and after looking over it thoroughly, answers, "It looks like it's stopped bleeding."

"Also good." The Doctor says with a relieved smile. "Are the two of you ready to start walking again?" he adds, looking from Jack to River. Both nod in response. "Okay, then let's go before they catch up to us again. Come on." Jack takes a moment to gently return the little girl in his arms to the position she had been in immediately following their flight from the grove, then he falls in behind the Doctor and River, who has moved to the front in order to keep an eye on things.

The trio walks in relative calm, while still remaining vigilant, for ten minutes, after which they reach the TARDIS. Immediately, it unlocks and opens the doors to let them in, closing both when all three are inside.

"Where do you want me to take her?" Jack asks as he follows the Doctor and River a little ways up the stairway to the console platform.

" Medical bay." the Doctor replies. "I'll take you to it." Before departing with Jack, the Doctor glances over at River and says, "We'll be right back."

"Alright." She replies with a nod. Following that, the Doctor and Jack start off for the medical bay. They reach it after a brief walk, and the Doctor, leaving the child with Jack, goes about making the gurney more comfortable for her.

As he looks around, Jack remarks, "It looks like this has hardly been used!"

"It hasn't been, not for awhile. Most trips, there's been medical help close by, or the person who's injured is completely conscious." the Doctor replies, looking away from the closet he is currently attempting to wrestle a mattress out of.

"I see." Jack says, nodding. Following that answer, the Doctor returns to struggling with the mattress. After a few more minutes of pushing and pulling it this way and that, he manages to get it out of the closet.

"There!" the Doctor announces, smiling triumphantly. Looking across the way at Jack, he asks, "Jack, could you help me put this on the gurney?"

"Sure." He replies. "Where would you like me to put her while we're doing that?" he asks, nodding down at the little girl in his arms.

"There's a chair to your left you can put her in." the Doctor answers, nodding toward it.

"Okay. Will you hold her while I take off my coat?"

"Of course." the Doctor says with a grandfatherly smile as he walks over.

"Thanks." Jack replies, as he hands the child to the Time Lord. Jack then takes off his coat and lays it across the chair. After taking his firearm out of the left pocket and setting it aside, he bunches just enough of his coat up to serve as a relatively comfortable makeshift pillow, while leaving a sufficient amount free to use as a temporary blanket. When he is finished, he takes the girl back from the Doctor and lays her gently in the chair, after which he covers her up with the rest of his coat.

Following that, he joins the Doctor at the opposite end of the room and proceeds to assist him with placing the mattress on the gurney. Once they have finished, Jack immediately returns to the chair and takes the child in his arms, then sits down and waits for the Doctor to finish fixing up her makeshift bed.

A few minutes later, Jack, who had nodded off, is awakened by the Doctor telling him, "It's ready for her."

"Hmmm…?" Jack replies somewhat sleepily.

Giving him another grandfatherly smile, the Doctor answers, "She has a bed of sorts to sleep in tonight."

"Oh, right, okay." Jack, now fully awake, says. "Hang on." He adds as he uncovers her. The Doctor, still with the same smile on his face, simply nods in response. Once Jack has finished taking his coat off the child, he carries her over to the gurney.

As he lays her down and successively covers her up, he asks the Doctor, "Do you think she'll be alright?"

The Time Lord looks down at the little girl (now clearly seen in the brightly-lit room) for a moment and gently brushes a lock of her dark brown hair off her forehead, after which he tells Jack with a reassuring smile, "Yes, she's going to be fine. The TARDIS will take care of her during the night and heal any injuries we might have missed."

"Okay." Jack replies with a yawn.

The Doctor walks past the head of the gurney toward Jack, and upon reaching him, drapes his right arm around Jack's left shoulder and says, "What we need to do now is eat so you can get some sleep. You're clearly tired, and I imagine you haven't eaten very much this evening, yes?"

"Yeah." Jack responds with a brief nod.

"That's what I thought. Come on."

"Okay. I just need to put my coat and gun in my room."

"Of course." The Doctor replies, removing his arm from around Jack's shoulder and putting his hands in the pockets of his slacks. Jack quickly goes over to the chair and picks his coat up, then retrieves his pistol, which he had set down nearby. After putting it, barrel down, in the left pocket of his slacks, Jack once again joins the Doctor on the opposite end of the room, then the two men walk out. They reach Jack's room ten minutes later, then the Doctor waits for Jack to set his things down. Once he has done so, the two men head off to find the TARDIS's dining area.

In the medical bay at around the same time, the child awakens from unconsciousness with a start and sits up. For a few moments, she looks around fearfully, not knowing where she is, and wondering if she has been taken captive by members of the rival clan that has been harassing her family and their neighbors for the last several months. Immediately, the TARDIS, in its way, reassures her that she is perfectly safe, and has not been taken prisoner. Comforted for the time being, the little girl lies back down, and lulled by the TARDIS, quickly falls asleep.

A couple of hours later, Jack returns to his room, sleepy but in mostly good spirits, along with a satisfying, proper meal in his stomach. As he walks slowly to his bed, he undoes his braces and unbuttons his shirt, finally removing both once he reaches it. He then picks both articles of clothing, along with his coat and gun, off the bed and puts each item in its proper place. Following that, he turns down his bed. Once he has finished, he sits down on the edge of it and finishes undressing. When he is done, he lies down, pulls the bedcovers over himself, and closes his eyes, while the TARDIS helpfully dims, then switches off, the lights. For the remainder of the night, Jack sleeps more soundly and deeply than he has in the past several months.


End file.
